Juilliard Extension Division Fall 2024
Drama
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Discover the transformative power of drama at Juilliard Extension. Our diverse courses delve into the artistry and craft of acting, offering dynamic opportunities for creative exploration and growth.
Craft compelling narratives for the stage and screen in our immersive playwriting and screenwriting courses. Enhance your vocal abilities and embody characters with confidence in our specialized course, Singing for the Stage. Explore the Alexander Technique to connect with your body, emotions, and the power of your voice. Join our nurturing Scene Study: Group Acting Class, suitable for actors of all levels. Receive personalized coaching and guidance as you dive into scenes and monologues, honing your acting skills and deepening your understanding of the craft.
Experience a vibrant and collaborative learning environment that encourages artistic exploration, skill development, and personal growth.
Application Information
An application is required for some drama offerings to be considered for enrollment.
Click here to apply for Writing for Performance: A Playwriting Workshop or Screenwriting for TV and Film. Application deadline for playwriting: Monday, September 9; 5pm ET. Application deadline for screenwriting: Monday, September 9; 5pm ET.
Click here to apply for Scene Study: Group Acting Class or Shakespeare Intensive Group Class. Application deadline: Monday, September 9; 5pm ET.
Click here to apply for Singing for the Stage. Application deadline: Friday, August 30; 5pm ET.
Acting
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EVDIV 68 - Scene Study
Claire Karpen, Brian McManamon
This class is ideal for those who have had some performance experience—amateur or professional—and are eager to get back to the basics and reignite their passion, curiosity, and love of acting. We will be exploring the fundamentals by beginning with group exercises to expand our expressive tools, help us stay present and responsive, and gain the confidence to make compelling and inspired choices. Classes will then progress to text analysis and two- to three-person scene work. By the end of the semester, students will have a deeper understanding of how to get from page to stage and a reawakened love for the craft of acting. An informal, optional “open rehearsal” at the end of the semester will highlight students’ work. Prerequisites: Placement application is required unless pre-approved to enroll.
Biography: Claire Karpen is an actor, director, and teacher based in NYC. She has worked on and Off Broadway, regionally, and internationally in theatre, television, and film. Select acting credits include Sylvia (Broadway), Into the Woods (Fiasco’s production at Roundabout, McCarter, Old Globe, and the Menier in London), The Heir Apparent (CSC), Much Ado About Nothing (St. Louis Shakes), Love Life (HBOMax), New Amsterdam (NBC) and Blue Bloods (CBS). Select directing: The Woodsman (New World Stages, streaming on BroadwayHD), Bernie and Mikey… (59E59), Steel Magnolias (Virginia Theatre Festival), Moscow Moscow… (Columbia University), Trewlaney of the Wells (Juilliard). Claire trained at Brown University and The Juilliard School, and is currently guest faculty for both Juilliard’s Drama and Extension Divisions. She is also a proud member of SAG/AFTRA and a Councilor of Actors’ Equity Association. She is also a private acting and audition coach. More at www.clairekarpen.com
Biography: Brian McManamon is an actor, teacher, and acting coach based in New York City. He currently teaches Advanced Acting at Syracuse University’s Tepper Semester Program. In addition to running a private acting studio in New York City, Brian has taught and/or directed at The Juilliard School, the National Theater Institute (NTI) at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Powerhouse Theater Training Program at Vassar College, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Columbia University’s MFA Acting program and the Public Theater. From 2015 to 2018, Brian served as artistic director of the Shakespeare Academy at Stratford. As an actor, Brian has trained with some of the most respected acting teachers in America and abroad, including Ron Van Lieu, Evan Yionoulis, Mark Wing-Davey, Austin Pendleton, Peter Francis James, and the late John Barton. He received a BFA in Acting from Boston University, an MFA in Acting from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, and a full scholarship to attend the Midsummer in Oxford program of the British American Drama Academy (B.A.D.A.) at Oxford University. Brian is a proud member of the Actors Center Workshop Company and the National Alliance of Acting Teachers.
11 weeks
Mondays 6–8pm ET
September 30–December 16
&
Wednesdays 6–8pm ET
September 25–December 18 (no class on October 2)
In Person Only
$935
APPLY ONLINE > -
EVDIV 69 - Advanced Scene Study
Claire Karpen, Brian McManamon
This class is for those who have taken Scene Study and are ready to keep building on that foundational work that furthers their understanding of and passion for acting. Similar to Scene Study, students will begin the semester with some short group work as a refresher of our basic tools and to build a sense of ensemble, then dive quickly into 2-3 person scenes to put those tools into practice. Students will learn how to deepen their connection to and understanding of dramatic material, stay present and responsive to their scene partners, free up their impulses and imaginations, and learn more about how to make the most of rehearsal. An informal, optional “open rehearsal” at the end of the semester will highlight the students’ work. Prerequisites: Placement application is required unless pre-approved to enroll. Students must have completed Scene Study at Juilliard Extension online or in person before the beginning of this course.
Biography: Claire Karpen is an actor, director, and teacher based in NYC. She has worked on and Off Broadway, regionally, and internationally in theatre, television, and film. Select acting credits include Sylvia (Broadway), Into the Woods (Fiasco’s production at Roundabout, McCarter, Old Globe, and the Menier in London), The Heir Apparent (CSC), Much Ado About Nothing (St. Louis Shakes), Love Life (HBOMax), New Amsterdam (NBC) and Blue Bloods (CBS). Select directing: The Woodsman (New World Stages, streaming on BroadwayHD), Bernie and Mikey… (59E59), Steel Magnolias (Virginia Theatre Festival), Moscow Moscow… (Columbia University), Trewlaney of the Wells (Juilliard). Claire trained at Brown University and The Juilliard School, and is currently guest faculty for both Juilliard’s Drama and Extension Divisions. She is also a proud member of SAG/AFTRA and a Councilor of Actors’ Equity Association. She is also a private acting and audition coach. More at www.clairekarpen.com
Biography: Brian McManamon is an actor, teacher, and acting coach based in New York City. He currently teaches Advanced Acting at Syracuse University’s Tepper Semester Program. In addition to running a private acting studio in New York City, McManamon has taught and/or directed at Juilliard School, the National Theater Institute (NTI) at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Powerhouse Theater Training Program at Vassar College, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Columbia University’s MFA Acting program and the Public Theater. From 2015 to 2018, McManamons served as artistic director of the Shakespeare Academy at Stratford. As an actor, McManamon has trained with some of the most respected acting teachers in America and abroad, including Ron Van Lieu, Evan Yionoulis, Mark Wing-Davey, Austin Pendleton, Peter Francis James, and the late John Barton. He received a BFA in Acting from Boston University, an MFA in Acting from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, and a full scholarship to attend the Midsummer in Oxford program of the British American Drama Academy (BADA) at Oxford University. McManamon is a proud member of the Actors Center Workshop Company and the National Alliance of Acting Teachers.
11 weeks
Mondays 8–10pm ET
September 30–December 16
&
Wednesdays 8–10pm ET
September 25–December 18 (no class on October 2)
In Person Only
$935
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EVDIV 71 - Acting Technique
Mark Olsen, Jasminn Johnson
Unlock your creative potential and discover the fundamentals of acting in our Acting Technique class. Designed for beginners and those looking to refresh their skills, this course provides a supportive and dynamic environment to explore the craft of acting.
Through a series of engaging exercises, improvisations, and scene work, participants will learn essential techniques to develop their imagination, concentration, and emotional expressiveness. The class will cover key elements such as voice and speech, movement, character development, and script analysis.
Guided by experienced instructors, students will gain confidence in their abilities, enhance their communication skills, and foster a deeper understanding of themselves and their artistry. Whether you aspire to perform on stage or simply wish to build your self-awareness and presence, this course offers a comprehensive foundation in the art of acting.
Join us and embark on a transformative journey that will enrich your creative life and equip you with valuable skills applicable both on and off the stage.
Biography: Mark Olsen was born in Denver, Colorado and lived his early life in many states in the western U.S. eventually settling down to complete High School in Houston and then earning his undergraduate theatre degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Not long afterwards Olsen went on to become an Artist in Residence for the city of Dallas, working with and teaching underserved populations as well as high level diplomats, artists and public leaders. Mark went on to study with many of the great master teachers of physical acting disciplines, attending studios in Paris, Los Angeles, São Paolo, and New York. Along the way he received special training in body mind modalities such as Alexander and Feldenkrais technique, as well as extensive training in Cheng M’an Ching’s Yang style Tai Chi, a martial art form he has practiced for over thirty years. Olsen is the former Head of BFA Acting at Wright State University, MFA Graduate Acting at Penn State University, and was Head of Movement for three years at the University of Houston. Olsen has been a guest artist teacher at Carnegie Mellon University, Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia University, and Ryerson Theatre School in Toronto. Olsen appeared on Broadway and toured internationally with the mime/mask ensemble, Mummenschanz. He has directed many professional and university productions and as a movement coordinator/fight director, his work has been seen on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in productions at the Signature Theatre, The Roundabout, American Repertory Theatre, Hartford Stage Company, Long Wharf, The Alley Theatre, Houston Shakespeare Festival, Houston Grand Opera, and many others. He is the author of three texts: The Golden Buddha Changing Masks, The Actor with a Thousand Faces, and Acting: Scene One.
Biography: Jasminn Johnson (Group 45), a Drama Division teaching fellow, is an actor and teaching artist based in New York City. Some of her recent Off-Broadway credits include King Lear (New York Classical Theatre), Blues for An Alabama Sky (Keen Company), and Twelfth Night (Shakespeare on the Sound); her TV and film credits include The Equalizer (CBS) and The Politician (Netflix). Johnson has taught throughout New York City as the former director of education for Keen Company and coached for the National August Wilson Monologue Competition, in which her student won first place at the 2020 New York citywide competition.
11 weeks
Online Section
Mondays 6–8pm ET
September 30–December 16
In Person Section
Mondays 6–8pm or 8-10pm ET
September 30–December 16
$935
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EVDIV 72 - Performing Shakespeare: Group Class
Brian McManamon
A rigorous and imaginative exploration of playing Shakespeare with a focus on the relationship between the structure of verse, the intellectual argument and releasing a characters thoughts and emotions through text. Students will experience how the form, rhythm and meaning of Shakespeare’s verse can lead the actor to find specificity, impulsivity and expressivity in their work. The class will offer tools not rules; clues not constraints. Pleasure will be taken in tipping Shakespeare off of his proverbial pedestal and discovering how these plays can live through and speak to us in this moment in time.
Biography: Brian McManamon is an actor, teacher, and acting coach based in New York City. He currently teaches Advanced Acting at Syracuse University’s Tepper Semester Program. In addition to running a private acting studio in New York City, Brian has taught and/or directed at The Juilliard School, the National Theater Institute (NTI) at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Powerhouse Theater Training Program at Vassar College, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Columbia University’s MFA Acting program and the Public Theater. From 2015 to 2018, Brian served as artistic director of the Shakespeare Academy at Stratford. As an actor, Brian has trained with some of the most respected acting teachers in America and abroad, including Ron Van Lieu, Evan Yionoulis, Mark Wing-Davey, Austin Pendleton, Peter Francis James, and the late John Barton. He received a BFA in Acting from Boston University, an MFA in Acting from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, and a full scholarship to attend the Midsummer in Oxford program of the British American Drama Academy (B.A.D.A.) at Oxford University. Brian is a proud member of the Actors Center Workshop Company and the National Alliance of Acting Teachers.
11 weeks
Tuesdays 7–9pm ET
October 1–December 17
In Person Only
$935
APPLY ONLINE >
Screenwriting/Playwriting
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EVDIV 67 - Writing for Performance: A Playwriting Workshop
James Anthony Tyler
If you are at ease calling yourself a writer but choke on the word “playwright,” then this workshop is for you. Designed for adventurous wordsmiths from all backgrounds, ages, and levels of experience, Writing for Performance equips participants with tips and techniques that they can use as they develop story for the stage. We will take inspiration from a selection of contemporary playwrights, practitioners, and performance artists such as Young Jean Lee, Okwui Okpokwasili, Winsome Pinnock, Hassan Abdulrazzak, Lisa Goldman, Amit Gupta, and Debbie Tucker Green, and we will experiment with exercises to unlock you when you’re blocked and help you generate rich and challenging new material. Participants will leave the workshop with a portfolio of short works, a toolbox packed with inspiring prompts, and their own set of “rules” to guide them further on their journey into performance writing. Placement application required.
Biography: James Anthony Tyler is the recipient of the third Annual Horton Foote Playwriting Award, an inaugural playwright to receive a commission from Audible, and a 2016 Theatre Masters Visionary Playwrights Award recipient. He is currently a Playwrights Center Core Writer, and most recently was the recipient of The Playwrights Center’s McKnight National Residency and Commission, a member of The Fire This Time Festival’s New Works Lab Cycle 5, and a member of Circle X Theatre Company’s Evolving Playwrights Group. His plays include Some Old Black Man (Berkshire Playwrights Lab at St. James Place and 59E59 Theaters, and a University Musical Society filmed production), All We Need Is Us (Keen Company, currently streaming on all podcast platforms) hop thA A (Currently streaming on Audible), Artney Jackson (World Premiere at Williamstown Theatre Festival, 2018 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award), and Dolphins and Sharks (LAByrinth Theater Company and Finborough Theatre in London). He’s a 2021/2018 MacDowell Fellow, a 2021 Hermitage Artist Resident, a 2018 Djerassi Fellow, 2018-2019 Amoralists Wright Club Playwright, 2017-2018 Nashville Rep Ingram New Works Playwright, 2016-2017 Ars Nova Play Group Resident, 2016 Working Farm Playwrights Group Resident at SPACE on Ryder Farm, 2015-2016 Playwrights’ Center’s Many Voices Fellow, 2014-2015 Dramatists Guild Fellow, and he was a member of Harlem’s Emerging Black Playwrights Group. He has a MFA in Film from Howard University and a MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University. He is also a graduate of The Juilliard School’s Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program. For television, he was the Staff Writer for the OWN Network show “Cherish the Day” created by Ava DuVernay, and was most recently in the writers’ room for a new Apple + Drama Series starring an Academy Award winning actress, and he’s currently an Adjunct Professor at NYU and Columbia University. Upcoming 2024 play productions include Into the Side of a Hill at Flint Repertory Theatre and Some Old Black Man in London.
10 weeks
Thursdays 6–8pm ET
September 26–December 5
or
Fridays 6–8pm ET
September 27–December 6
Online Only
$700
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EVDIV 70 - Screenwriting for TV and Film
Phaedra Scott
So, you have an idea for a film, or you finished a draft of a screenplay—now what? This course is curated for writers who are interested in crafting character, building worlds and sharpening their storytelling chops in the world of screenwriting. Starting with inspiration, and moving onto character and story, this course offers the opportunity to teach good practices in starting a new work, to fine tuning a work in progress. This course will offer practical guidance in terms of different methods of screenwriting, pitch meetings, how to market yourself and how to be your own editor. Required Software: FinalDraft
Biography: Phaedra Michelle Scott is a writer and dramaturg based in New York City. She has recently been staffed on an upcoming television show with CBS/Showtime. Her recent playwriting credits include GOOD HAIR (Commissioned by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant & Ensemble Studio Theater, developed with Pipeline Playlab); DIASPORA! (commissioned by SpeakEasy Stage, 2022 Great Plains Theater Conference); and PLANTATION BLACK (developed at SPACE on Ryder Farm). Her podcast work included PLEASURE MACHINE, developed with Colt Coer. Other plays include THE PURITANS (commissioned by Sparkhaven Theater Company) and UNITY (commissioned by University of Massachusetts, Amherst). She is a member of Youngblood with Ensemble Studio Theater. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America. www.phaedrascott.com
8 weeks
Mondays 7–9pm ET
September 30–November 25
Online Only
$560
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Singing/Movement Training
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EVDIV 58 - Singing for the Stage: Musical Theater, Cabaret, Jazz, and Pop
Kurt Alakulppi
Are you an actor or singer seeking to enhance your vocal performance in musical theater and other non-classical genres? Whether you’re a recent acting graduate navigating the transition to the working world, a seasoned theater actor who struggles with singing in public or at auditions, or an established singer in musical theater, cabaret, jazz, or pop looking to maintain vocal health and flexibility while gigging, this course is designed to help you incorporate reliable singing techniques into your performance and audition settings.
Through a series of “Vocal-eases” exercises, you’ll condition your muscles and vocal mechanism to respond healthfully over time, strengthen the quality of sound, extend your range, and provide a reliable basis for breath management and endurance without strain or struggle. In addition to technical issues, this course will also address mental blocks and performance anxiety, offering repertoire suggestions, anti-anxiety routines, and strategies for communicating the text while singing optimally.
Participants can expect to sing in each class, providing opportunities for peer-to-peer learning in front of a built-in audience. This course is specifically designed for professional actors who need to sing and professional singers who need to act, and requires an online application for admission. Join us to enhance your vocal performance and take your career to the next level!
Please note, the 12th voice class will be dedicated to the recital day scheduled for December 8. The room location and time are yet to be determined (TBD).
This course requires an online application to be considered for admission.
13 weeks
Mondays 6–8pm ET
September 16–December 16
In Person Only
$988 plus $130 accompanist fee
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EVDIV 60 - The Alexander Technique
Thomas Vasiliades
Alexander Technique is a mind-body method that brings about awareness of subconscious habits and patterns that interfere with postural support, movement, and breathing. Studying the technique prevents and transforms these habits, thereby promoting an improved use of the body while performing daily activities. People who have studied Alexander Technique have experienced relief from chronic pain and discomfort, improved breathing and voice production, and greater ease of movement. Used by actors, musicians, dancers, and athletes, the technique can benefit everyone, including those who simply wish to improve and explore themselves. This class, popular throughout Juilliard, is a hands-on approach for change in all areas of life. Students should bring their own yoga mat to each session.
10 weeks
Thursdays 6–7:30pm ET
September 26–December 5
In Person Only
$525
Drama History & Appreciation
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EVDOL 39 - Theater This Season
Shana Komitee
Designed for novices and afficionados alike, this course explores a mix of the most exciting theater happening in New York in Fall 2024 - revivals and premieres, straight plays and musicals, on Broadway and Off-Broadway. Each week, students will analyze a given production’s source texts, enjoy spirited lectures and discussions about its history and creators, and encounter video and audio footage and guest artist visits (recorded and live) that reveal a work’s deeper dimensions. Whether you’re a longtime NYC theatergoer and want greater context for shows you plan to attend – or prefer to survey the rich scene from the storied perch of a Juilliard classroom – all are invited!
The plays/musicals surveyed include, but are not limited to:
- Our Town (the beloved American classic, now reborn under acclaimed director Kenny Leon); The Outsiders (2024 Tony Award for Best Musical),
- Yellow Face (the highly-anticipated Broadway premiere of David Henry Hwang’s semi-autobiographical comedic stunner about race);
- Gypsy (starring the unmissable Audra McDonald);
- Reconstructing (Still Working but the Devil Might Be Inside) (The TEAM’s genre-defying largest writing project to date, at BAM);
- Suffs (Shaina Taub’s political powerhouse, especially timely this election year);
- McNEAL (a meditation on the power of AI by the Pulitzer-winning visionary Ayad Akhtar);
- Gatz (Elevator Repair Service’s final NYC encore presentation of their legendary riff on Fitzgerald’s masterpiece);
- Our Class (an astonishing new look at Tadeusz Slobodzianek’s famous study of a 1940s Polish village);
- Bad Kreyol (the newest from theatrical heavyweight Dominique Morisseau); and many more.
Additionally, students who register for the class will be eligible to receive one complimentary ticket to the opening production of the Juilliard Drama Division 2024-2025 Season “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”.
Biography: Shana Komitee has been a Juilliard faculty member since 2012. She teaches Vibrant Legacies in Theater, covering influential movements and artists in the U.S. and globally, and serves as dramaturg on Drama Division productions. Komitee is the author of the Harvard Writing Project’s A Student’s Guide to Performance Studies, essays for the Juilliard Global Ventures episode on Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, and dozens of program notes and director interviews for Juilliard mainstage productions. She received her bachelor’s degree from Yale University and pursued an interdisciplinary MA/PhD at Harvard University in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and Performance Studies. At Harvard, she was a multi-year recipient of the university’s top teaching fellowship prize. A former New York City Urban Fellow, Komitee has also taught at Columbia University, Bard Prison Initiative, and Juilliard Extension (since 2013), and in numerous adult education programs in Boston and San Francisco. She has provided dramaturgy at theaters and museums throughout the United States, including the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Frick Art Museum, WP Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Signature Theatre, and the American Repertory Theatre.
10 weeks
Tuesdays 6:30–8pm ET
October 1–December 10
In Person Only
$510
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